Newcomer Bevin, McConnell engage in war of words

A Louisville businessman enters the Republican primary for United States Senate.

In a speech Wednesday afternoon, Matt Bevin said the current leadership of Sen. Mitch McConnell has failed Kentucky.

Wednesday kicked off the start of a three-day event with eight campaign stops across the state.

Bevin, who's backed by a number of tea party groups, has virtually no political experience and admits the race will be an uphill battle.

"Never in the history of American politics has a congressional leader or a Senate leader ever been defeated in a primary," said Bevin.

But that's not stopping Bevin from jumping into the 2014 race.

He's a lifelong Republican taking on McConnell, who's held office for nearly 30 years.

"The fact of the matter is, people are fed up with the lack of leadership we're getting and the lack of representation," said Bevin.

He spoke to a crowd of about 100 inside an American Legion hall Wednesday afternoon, standing alongside his wife and nine children, four of whom the couple adopted.

"It would be a home run for Kentucky if this man gets elected. He's absolutely brilliant," said Bevin supporter Tina Gilmour.

Bevin is backed by the United Tea Party of Kentucky.

If elected, he vows to never vote to raise his own pay.

He opposes debt ceiling increases unless there's a plan in place to balance the budget in 10 years, and he's calling for a permanent ban on earmark spending.

"It doesn't seem that there's been a piece of wasteful spending that Mitch McConnell has not been a supporter of," said Bevin.

"One thing he had right, he called Mitch McConnell 'elite.' Yeah, he's elite. To say he's a career politician, that's what all new politicians say. That's all they can say. That would be like going to a job interview and saying, 'Don't hire that man with 30 years of experience. Hire me. I have none," said McConnell supporter Jerry Davis.

Davis, a Spencer County magistrate, showed up to hear what Bevin had to say.

But the back and forth between Bevin and McConnell is just getting started.

Both camps have already released TV attack ads in a contest expected to get expensive as well.

Bevin's entry into the race could be McConnell's toughest competition for the Republican nomination.

It would also force McConnell to shift some of his focus away from Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes.

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